The present invention relates to the television (TV) viewing and/or recording arts. It finds particular application in conjunction with a personal video recorder (PVR), and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention is also amenable to other like applications including various types of media recording and/or playback devices.
Multimedia recording and playback devices such as video cassette recorders (VCRs), digital video (or versatile) disc (DVD) players, cassette players, compact disc (CD) players and, in particular, PVRs are known. At times, users of such devices desire to be able to pause, rewind, slow or otherwise manipulate playback. For example with respect to pausing playback, previously, this has been done by the user supplying an appropriate instruction to halt playback, then beginning the playback again, at the point at which the playback was halted, when the user supplies another appropriate instruction. For pre-recorded media (e.g., the video on a DVD), the implementation of particular playback manipulations is straightforward since all of the data is already stored on a storage medium and it can readily be accessed as desired. For example, the capability to pause the playback of pre-recorded media has been widely implemented in consumer electronics equipment.
The problem is more complex when implementing playback manipulation for media that is not pre-recorded, but, rather, is represented by data or a signal that is only momentarily available. This is the case, for example, with “live” or real time broadcasting of TV or radio, or with a streaming type of input over a network such as the Internet or a local wireless network.
Nevertheless, PVR systems which record media to a hard disk drive, memory or other like storage device have been developed which have certain playback manipulation features, e.g., pause, rewind, etc. In the case of live or real time broadcasts or the like, to achieve these manipulations, PVRs typically employ what is known as a “time-shift buffer” (TSB). For example, the TSB allows a user to pause a TV broadcast, optionally rewind a TV broadcast to perform an instant replay, slow playback, continue viewing the broadcast from a given point forward, etc.
Traditional PVRs operate such that the TSB buffer is always recording the channel that is selected for viewing. With a fixed buffer size, the oldest data in the buffer is continuously discarded. For example, a typical PVR implementation may offer a fixed TSB capable of storing up to a total of half an hour's worth of recorded media. Accordingly, the data within that moving window or period (e.g., the most recent half hour) is available to be accessed as desired to perform a selected playback manipulation.
However, previously developed PVRs only buffer the channel currently selected for viewing. When the selected viewing channel is changed, the TSB is then automatically loaded with data from the newly selected channel. In this manner, the TSB is essentially no more than a historical record of that which was presented for viewing. Upon changing viewing channels, data from the prior channel is no longer being recorded. In certain implementations, the TSB may be cleared completely when channels are changed so as to maximize buffering room for the newly selected viewing channel.
A TV viewing habit known as “channel surfing” or “zapping,” typically involves the rapid and repeated changing of channels selected for viewing. Often, this type of surfing is engaged in during commercial breaks in a TV program that is otherwise of predominant interest to the user, but it may be engaged in at other times as well. For example, during a commercial break or otherwise, the user may wish to momentarily view one or more secondary channels of interest, e.g., to check the score of a sporting event, catch a news update, merely out of curiosity, or for any other reason. Yet, the user still would like not to miss portions of the program on the predominate channel of interest. However, this undesired outcome may in fact result at times. For example, assume the user does not return to the predominate channel of interest prior to the expiration of a commercial break, then some portion of the program immediately following the commercial break is missed.
The aforementioned PVR implementations do not provide a solution to the foregoing situation insomuch as they only buffer the channel currently selected for viewing. Being that the TSB is only loaded with data from channels which are selected for viewing, any data, events, programs or portions thereof on a channel not selected for viewing that were undesirably missed are not captured in the buffer to be later accessible. Using the above example, because the predominate channel of interest was not returned to as the selected viewing channel until after the expiration of the commercial break, that portion of the program immediately following the commercial break (i.e., between the end of the break and returning to the channel) was not captured in the TSB. Because it was not capture in the TSB, it cannot be later accessed. The user has therefore missed or lost a portion of the program that they may otherwise have wanted to view. Accordingly, channel surfing (i.e., the selecting of one or more secondary channels for viewing) cannot be safely engaged in without the risk of loosing or missing some portion of what is being broadcast on a channel which is not at the time selected for viewing but is otherwise of predominate interest.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved PVR device and/or technique which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.